In a big setback to Lalu Prasad Yadav, the Supreme Court on Monday said that Rashtriya Janata Dal chief will have to face separate trials in all four fodder scam cases. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed a plea in the apex court against the dropping of a conspiracy charge against Lalu Prasad Yadav by the Jharkhand High Court in a fodder scam cases.

The apex court has ordered that the trial court should complete the proceedings within 9 months. Apart from Lalu, former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra and former top bureaucrat Sajal Chakraborty will be facing a trial in the fodder scam case. While delivering the verdict, the court lashed out at the CBI for its delay in filing an appeal against the dropping of the conspiracy charge against the RJD chief.

While dropping the conspiracy charge, the Jharkhand High Court had said that proceedings should be continued against him under IPC sections 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of an offence committed or giving false information) and 511 (attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or imprisonment, and in such attempt doing any act towards the commission of the offence).

Convicted in the fodder scam, Lalu was awarded a five-year sentence in October 2013 in the Chaibasa treasury withdrawal case and is currently out on bail. With this verdict, Lalu will have to apply for a fresh bail in court.

The fodder scam pertains to fraudulent withdrawal of around Rs 1,000 crore by the Animal Husbandry department when Lalu was the chief minister of Bihar from 1990 to 1997. As per reports, nearly 50 cases were filed for embezzlement of funds which was meant to buy fodder for cattle, among others.